Branding Tips: Is Your Brand on Brand

This is more than just selling or making money, this is about your passion and the passion behind your business. For example, your business might be selling books but deep down you started this business to provide an avenue for parents to find suitable and educational books with great life messages for their kids.

2. What are your core values?

It’s easy to lose sight of your core values as your business grows and more people become involved in its development. Knowing and sharing these, and referring back to them through each marketing campaign and the branding process will help keep a consistent message that you feel comfortable with. Create a word cloud of your (and your business) core values.

3. Who is your audience?

While you might say “anyone with kids”, in order to target the right client, you need to get pretty specific. By creating a specific person you will find that your marketing and branding will be much more focused. And don’t worry, this approach doesn’t ignore everyone else.
If you have 2 very distinct community segments then write them both down. They may have some similarities you can use for the overall brand.

Eg: Our bookseller has chosen a 30-40yo newly single mum, with 2 kids (9 & 13), who is middle income, working part-time, is very comfortable shopping online and is very focused on her kid’s happiness and welfare.

4. Where are you going?

If a benefactor was to invest $15 million in your business tomorrow, what would you like to do? Knowing the ultimate dream is a good step in making sure you don’t have to re-brand 5 or 10 years down the road. Sure, your brand might evolve, but you want to avoid a full charge.

Keep in mind that your future goals should not be changing points 1 and 2.

5. What’s the personality of your business (and you)?

Are you bold, ready to lead the way, a trailblazer, dare to be different, or are you more comfortable with being the quiet achiever, people will approach me when they need me to type of person. If you can’t think of a specific description, then create a word cloud.

6. Who is your competition?

Who are your top 5 competitors? Make a list and next to each one note some things they’re doing that you like some that you don’t like. EG: you may decide that they have too many choices available, making them just another shop. Or perhaps they seem too “big & corporate” to be friendly to the mums and dads.

7. What’s your Elevator Pitch?

So you step into the lift with Richard Branson. He’s in a chatty mood and asks you “so what do you do?” Think about points 1 and 3, and quickly describe your business without using its name.
eg: our bookseller may say something like … I connect parents with life inspiring stories to share with their kids to help pave the way for a better future.

Racer, Artist, Graphic Designer
www.andyk.com.au

You can view AndyK Design in the WBA Member Directory